Scandal of people who run off without paying in Lancashire... and get away with it

Thousands of people ran off without paying for meals, petrol and taxis in Lancashire last year.

Industry representatives say leaving without paying for services is akin to "stealing someone's wages", and could leave innocent people unable to provide for their families.

Home Office figures reveal Lancashire Police recorded 2,454 making off without payment offences in the 12 months to September 2018.

This was an increase of 80 per cent compared to the same period in 2014-15.

Despite the rise, the number of offenders being charged has fallen. In 2014-15, the police brought charges 67 times, or in five per cent of cases. But by 2017-18, this had fallen to two per cent, with charges brought just 51 times.

Making off without payment is when a person dishonestly leaves despite knowing that payment is due on the spot.

Offences have risen by 48 per cent across England and Wales in the last three years, while the proportion of offenders being charged has fallen from just under five per cent to less than two per cent.

Federation of Small Businesses chairman Mike Cherry said the rise was being exacerbated by police cuts.

He said: “This can’t be allowed to continue – lots of businesses have very tight margins and it’s time to stop tolerating opportunistic thieves taking food off the family table.

“If the police are not able to meet the needs of businesses across the country, then the Government should step in and give the authorities the funding they need to tackle this problem."

The British Oil Security Syndicate, which helps recover debts for petrol stations, estimates that drive-offs at garage forecourts cost retailers around £20m a year.

Some police forces claim such incidents are a civil rather than criminal matter and refuse to investigate, it added.

Executive director Kevin Eastwood said: “What we would stress with the police is that we don’t want to waste their time and we don’t want them to be debt collectors.